Spain under state of alert over air strike chaos

 

The military has taken control of Spain's air space but cannot direct air traffic

The Spanish government has declared a state of alert after a strike by air traffic controllers grounded flights, stranding thousands of travellers.

The measure will allow widldcat strikers to be charged with a crime under the military penal code.

About half of the controllers showed for their shift on Saturday morning but most refused to work, in a dispute over hours and conditions.

National carrier Iberia has cancelled all flights until 0500 GMT on Sunday.

There are huge crowds of passengers at Spain's airports, many hoping to get away at the start of a national holiday, many of them frustrated and angry, says the BBC's Sarah Rainsford in Madrid.

The army was called in to take charge of the country's air space on Friday, but cannot direct air traffic.

Announcing the state of alert, Deputy Prime Minister Alfredo Perez Rubalcaba said the air traffic controllers were trying to protect "unacceptable privileges".

Spain is engaged in a big austerity drive to cut its budget deficit.

Legal threat Some flights were operating to parts of Spain, including the Canary Islands and Majorca but flagship carrier Iberia, and budget airline Ryanair said they were cancelling all their flights until Sunday morning.

 

The controllers' unsanctioned action began Friday afternoon in Madrid, with staff calling in sick.

It spread across the nation, forcing travellers to find last-minute hotel rooms or sleep on airport floors. Some passengers were taken by coach to their destinations.

The controllers were already involved in a dispute about their working hours, but were further angered by austerity measures passed by the government on Friday which would partially privatise AENA.

"We have reached our limit mentally with the new decree approved this morning obliging us to work more hours," said Jorge Ontiveros, a spokesman for the Syndicate Union of Air Controllers.

"We took the decision individually, which then spread to other colleagues who stopped work because they cannot carry on like this. In this situation we cannot control planes."

'Hostages' The head of AENA, Juan Ignacio Lema, said the strike was "intolerable", and told the controllers to "stop blackmailing the Spanish people".

Spanish Transport Minister Jose Blanco has also condemned the strike, saying those involved were "using citizens as hostages".

Hundreds of national and international flights have been cancelled across the country, leaving angry passengers left stranded in airports.

Some were left stranded on runways as their planes had to turn back. Others had to travel by bus to regional destinations.

"All flights are blocked, there's a huge lot of people here, sitting around everywhere. Right now everyone is calm, but we don't know what's happening," said one traveller at Barajas airport.

"The captain came out to say Spanish airspace had suddenly shut, with no prior warning," another passenger stuck in a plane at Palma told Spanish radio.

One woman at Barajas airport said it was "a disgrace". "How can a group of people be so selfish as to wreck the plans of so many people?"

source: bbc.co.uk

 

 

all situation is plain weird, worst is the political actions taken, imo.

worst is the political action? oh then, what would you do? if people who earn 200k€ per year are capable of going on strike on this very special day causing serious trouble to more than 300k people, i don't know why this isn't appropiate..

true, is hard to handle that, but i don't know why on a so serious stuff, why we've been poorly informed?, i'm yet expecting the President to say something about the law they've done, which include other stuff. and is not clear there how the state alarm will affect us and for how long, it could get worst yet and on a state alarm could end really bad.

 

and all them play the victims when obviously any of them are to blame, all they got was to take it to a extreme, since is a long long story, both sides to be blamed.

 

real victims are passangers which are less informed and trapped in airport not knowing if they will get a refund will be offered a new flight or what, and normal workers at airport, but whatever the cause and real reasons behind it, final result is they militarized that, if they have done so once, they could do that with other sectors, i fear that much as it cut some basic rights.

i hope to be wrong and that it be fixed soon for the best of everybody.

 

and behind that we are not informed about other stuff, as if Europe will force us to reduce costs or so, it all is plain weird, the situation itself and how they all are handling, after they provoked it and as always using it on their benefit to play the victims.

 

pretty sad that it happen this weekend.

Striking Spain air traffic controllers return to work

 

Most of Spain's air traffic controllers have returned to work and airspace has reopened, after a walkout grounded flights and stranded thousands.

 

 

 

more on bbc.co.uk.

 

 

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luckily seems to be solved already, but yet harm is done.

 

some rumours are worrying :|

I have said many times all ready, all unions should be banned. they will end this world.

Espically here !

all unions?

what do you mean that in that case daryl? :confused:

Unions I have noticed cause all the problems for countires in the world. Its not like we are living in the Dark Ages now.

 

These guys are paid so much money, that work in spain as well. I am sure we both know lots of people that would give their right arm for an oppurtunity for what we have.

 

In addition a friend of mine pointed out how strange it was all of this was when we had the "puente" here.

i still don't see what you mean with unions in this case, which unions? workers sindicates or what?

 

yeah is strange, but i find is a lot worst the politics reaction to it all.

 

a big harm in economy and the nation image abroad has been caused and will be really hard to fix it, who to blame, i don't care and probably we will not know in a while, just it's been handled really wrong, a lot of mysteries and sayings are spreading about it on the net, and i don't think anybody is telling all the truth behind it, we'll see it in the next weeks, but what is obvious is many laws were broken in the constitution anniveresary which is really worrying, placing the important people in ambiguous positions in some cases.

so some people are questioning things about, and answers are not been given which just causes to weird theories to arise and spread faster.

 

i don't like the fact that we are in state alert for 2 weeks and they may extend it to 2 months, have you read what be in that state means? :confused:

i fear things to go a lot wrong quite soon.

I will check this out.

I know Jose Luis R Zapertero is under a lot of prusure these days. Maybe he should step down, and give someone else the job. ç

 

 

We are overloaded in my work place with propaganda material from the likes of UGT and COCO.

I think these guys have very little to stand for, and think in a old way. They caused a lot of problems as far as I understand thooughout the history of this country.

 

I still like him though, he makes me laugh and I am can mimic him.... a little bit.

yeah is in a lot of presure but he placed himself in the situation, he's been warned a lot of times from Europe and adviced and never did a thing those last 2 years.

 

and btw when one accept to be President of a country have to do the best for all it, learn from advices and self mistakes and know he'll be under a lot of presure many times. he is having a lot of privileges, all politicians do so i don't see the point in 'he's under presure' when everybody is, plus he is not the one seeing his salary reduced, banned from work, and having to leave his house as almost 5.000.000 unemployed citizens.

 

he's been disappeared for 3 days in the state the country has been this weekend and no clue has been given about where he was.

 

in first place i think he should had been the one on tv telling the nation that we were in that alert, as he is the President, to start with, btw that state has not been signed by him, which is so weird.

 

i don't think the situation how he is leaving the country now is any funny.

 

and i honestly doubt any other will do any better. all politicians are the same crap to me now, i feel honestly disgusted by all this.

we will have to deal with hard time, cause and more after that i see EU taking strict measures here.

 

so at the moment the less problem is the airports, though is true it affected to a lot of people, but the result will be payed by everyone of us, and the image we've given abroad will cause the investors to run away, and economy may stop even more, i bet a lot of people will cancel their next flights here, when one of the country economy engine is tourism.

Perhaps he is taking a Holiday. I am working but many people are on Holiday. !

Right now President is explaining it in the Congress, limited time for questions from the opposition parties.

good as they are always the same questions...

i don't see the point in the opposition parties, all agreeing with the main point of debate but all complaining of something :dozey:

Zaperteo has extended the alert until 15 Jan !

well is yet curious that he has not said so yet, only other Ministers. :dozey:

 

i wonder how they plan to solve it after 15th jan, extend it again 2 or so more months or what?

worst is the political action? oh then, what would you do? if people who earn 200k€ per year are capable of going on strike on this very special day causing serious trouble to more than 300k people, i don't know why this isn't appropiate..

 

You can't force people to work.

 

That's called "slavery".

You can't force people to work.

 

That's called "slavery".

oh dear what you've said :lipsrsealed2:

 

i wonder how they'll solve it after around 16th jan when state alarm be over. :| but yet there will be people needing to take a plane that if controllers continue to not be shown at work then flights can't depart.

 

i won't comment more about the legality of the measure taken, just as i said before, what worries me is it sets a really bad precedent for the upcoming future where more civil protests are likely to happen soon due to lack of work, salary cut and taxes raise.

 

related stuff is what happened in my region those last days: (a bit off-topic)

regional goverment (opposite party than national government party) didn't got the money from the central administration (also they wasted money in some unnecesary activities, which is the main reason why country is in econo-crises, too many politicians wasting too much public/state money) so had been forced to cut teacher salaries even if they have to work the same or even more hours, as no substitutes will ge contracted (they are like civil servants here, payed from public/state money), so obviosly some protest had happened the similarity is:

 

in both cases controllers and teachers, their syndicate knew about the law the night before it was approved and applied and said they disagreed with and they'd protest.